The following commentary originally appeared in the Hotline newsletter and has been republished here. Additionally, weve created a landing page with links to all issue-oriented content published since early May, for readers who might have missed it

The news that Oregon and Michigan State agreed to a home-and-home series in 2029-30 generated strong reaction, just not the reaction you might expect.

I discussed the development briefly with John Canzano on his Bald-Faced Truth radio show in Portland, but it warrants a deeper dive.

Non-conference schedules are far more complicated, and require far more work, than fans might realize.

Oregon has two goals when formulating its non-conference schedule, and they dont easily align easily.

To support their operating budget, the Ducks aim to play seven home dates per season; and for competitive reasons, they attempt to follow the so-called A-B-C model:

A: One high-level game against a Power Five opponent (typically a home-and-home series)

B: One home game against a Group of Five opponent (think: Bowling Green, Wyoming, Nevada, Hawaii).

C: One home game against an FCS opponent (Portland State, Eastern Washington, etc).

Combining the B- and C-level games (in Autzen Stadium) with the conference schedule rotation gives the Ducks seven home dates in odd years, when the Civil War is in Eugene, and six home dates in even years, when the Civil War is in Corvallis.

(If you were told there would be no math in this commentary, my apologies.)

Against that framework is the desire to play seven at home, meaning:

The Ducks need their A-level game at home in even years (Civil War on the road), and they need it on the road in odd years (Civil War at home).

And they have to find a Power Five program with matching needs  one willing to play in Eugene in even years and host the Ducks in odd years.

And they only have one slot per season for that game.

The list can get pretty small pretty quick, athletic director Rob Mullens told the Hotline this spring during a wide-ranging discussion about scheduling.

(Oregon isnt alone. Several Pac-12 programs aim for seven home games each season while following the A-B-C model, and some schedule games eight or 10 years out:

(On Thursday, for example, UCLA announced a series with Auburn in 2027-28.)

This season, the Ducks are in B-B-C mode because Texas A&M, their A-level opponent, canceled a series due to complications from its move to the SEC.

But the Ducks are set with Power Five opponents in 2020-21 (Ohio State), 2023-24 (Texas Tech) and 2027-28 (Baylor), with the home game always falling in the even years.

Given those contracts, and the limited flexibility with A-level games, locking up Michigan State for 2029-30 makes perfect sense.

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